Nightmare in Berlin

An unforgettable portrayal of the physical and psychological devastation wrought in the homeland by Hitler’s war.



April, 1945. The war is over, yet Dr Doll — the mayor of small town in Russian-occupied north-east Germany — lives in constant fear. Haunted by nightmarish images of the bombsite in which he and his fellow Germans are trapped, he wishes to vanquish the demon of collective guilt, but he is unable to right any wrongs. Fleeing to Berlin, he and his young wife find solace in morphine addiction, as they try to make their way in the chaos of a city torn apart by war.



Written with Fallada’s distinctive power and vividness, Nightmare in Berlin captures the demoralised and desperate atmosphere of post-war Germany in a way that has never been matched or surpassed.



The translation of this work was supported by a grant from the Goethe-Institut which is funded by the German Ministry of the Arts.

O portretizare de neuitat a devastarii fizice si psihologice provocate de razboiul lui Hitler in patrie. Aprilie 1945. Razboiul s-a incheiat, totusi, doctorul Doll - primarul unui orasel din nord-estul Germaniei ocupat de Rusia - traieste in continua teama.